Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Saudi Man Dies After Setting Himself on Fire

Saudi Arabian officials say a man who doused himself with gasoline and set himself on fire this week has died from his injuries. The incident could be the first case of self-immolation in the kingdom since a similar incident in Tunisia sparked an anti-government uprising.

Government officials said Saturday the unidentified man was in his 60s and lived in the southwestern town of Samta, near the border with Yemen. News reports say he died Friday in a hospital.

A string of self immolations have been reported in countries including Egypt, Algeria and Morocco since an unemployed university graduate in Tunisia set himself on fire in December.

The Tunisia incident triggered widespread protests over unemployment, high food prices and government policies and eventually led to the ouster of Tunisia's president. There have been other recent protests in the region, in countries including Yemen, Jordan and Algeria.*With AP, AFP and Reuters